Bl6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 18,1984
BY SUZANNE KEENE
WEST CHESTER - Elaine Cook
of West Chester has been attending
Grange acti/ities since infancy
and with many years of experience
behind her, she is taking her new
position as the first woman Master
of Pomona Grange 3 all in stride.
“I’m not so honored because I’ve
been on ever so long,” Elaine says
in reference to her new position.
Recently elected Master of Pomona 3, Elaine Cook is the
first woman to hold that position. Here she poses with the
plaque she received in 1979 when she was selected State
Granger of the Year and a quilt that she recently finished. This time, Elaine said, she has
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Elaine Cook is first woman to head Pomona 3
“My parents met at Grange, so
I’ve been a Granger all my life,”
reining explained. Her parents took
her to many Grange activities
when she was a child, and she
formally became a member when
she turned 14.
Since that time she has been
involved in almost “everything
that comes along,” she says. “I’ve
been (me to enter practically
State
Inspection
Hitch
Installation
everything in the Gange.”
In 1979 Elaine received the State
Granger of the Year Award in
recognition of her participation in
many Grange activities.
Acting as secretary for her
Pomona for the past ten years is
one of those activities. In this
position, she said, she was
responsible for a lot of the
ritualistic work involved in the
Grange.
For the past six years Elaine has
been the first woman State Deputy
for Chester County. Her tenp in
this state-appointed position will
end in October.
In this position she has worked
as liaison between the state and
local Granges. If there is a local
problem or a new Grange in the
making, Elaine is the one who
passes it onto the state. As State
Deputy, she has installed many of
the officers in her Pomona’s 19
subordinate Granges.
To her list of firsts in the Grange
Elaine adds the position of first
woman Master of her local
Grange. Elaine’s father had been
Master of Brandywine Gnange 60
in 1940 and when Elaine assumed
the position in 1963, she said that
her taking over in this traditional
male bastion was quite a change
for the group.”
“I think they thought I couldn’t
do it,” Elaine says with a gleam in
her eye. But with her experience
behind her, she was able to prove
them wrong.
Now, at age 58, she is ready to
embark on a new adventure on her
Grange voyage. Although she does
not formally assume her new
position as Master of Pomona 3
until October, she has begrni
selecting the committies that will
work with her.
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heard no negative comments about
a woman being Master. “I’ve been
a Granger so long, I think they
respect that,” she said. Both men
and women have congratulated
her on her new position.
Her experience and hard work in
the past is helping out in other
ways as well. She said she has
“always tried to do my part and do
my job.”
Because she has been receptive
to other’s requests when a job
needed done, she is discovering
that people are willing to return
the favor and help her when she
asks them to serve on a committee.
During her two-year term as
Master, Elaine says one of her
primary goals is to build up at
tendance. Right now, she doesn’t
have any new programs in mind,
but plans to concentrate on
broadening some that the current
Master started. “I want to build up
what we’ve got,” she says.
While some of her predecessors
have tried to initiate a lot of
programs into the Pomona’s
schedule, Elaine says she believes
people are too busy with their local
activities to devote a lot of time to
Pomona events. She sees the
Pomona’s responsibility as helping
the subordinate Granges and
passing their ideas onto the state
for action.
While Elaine and her husband,
Penns Valley Beef Club
The Penns Valley 4-H Beef Club float for the Grange Fair,
met at the Dashem Farm, Centre News reporter Howard Dashem
Hall, on August 5 for a fitting gave a report on the
demonstration by club president Massachusetts Exchange trip
Kevin Long, vice-president which was on July 11 to 18.
Michelle Hosterman and news After the meeting the group had
reporter Howard Dashem. a family picnic supper and went
The group discussed plans for a swimming.
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Edwin, no longer live on a farm,
Elaine said she believes it is im
portant for them to stay abreast of
farm legislation. As a grassroots
kind of organization, the subor
dinate Granges and Pomonas offer
an opportunity for people to
discuss issues and pass their ideas
onto the state if necessary.
“If you’ve got a local problem,
that’s the main thing,” Elaine
said.
Elaine has passed her en
thusiasm for the Grange onto her
family. She said she met Edwin at
a Grange square dance, and while
he was not a Granger at that time,
Elaine saw to it that he soon
became one. Their children, Diane
and Darrell, are also Grangers.
When Elaine isn’t working on her
Grange projects, she enjoys
square dancing with her husband,
sewing and quilting. She said she
also enjoys putting on magic shows
for various local organizations,
something she learned from her
father at an early age and has
continued throughout her life.
She is also a member of the
County Curriculum Advisory
Board for Chester County food
handlers, representing non-profit
groups.
Elaine shows little sign of
slowing the pace of her Grange
activities and says she is looking
forward to receiving her 50 year
pin before too long.